In this digital era, your online presence and visibility determine your success. The business world has become very competitive, and that is why organizations are investing significantly in digital marketing campaigns. Why? More than ever, consumers can easily access any kind of information they want. If you are a business person, you must have heard of something called SEO, an acronym for Search Engine Optimization. Your online presence may be irrelevant if you are not visible. Usually, search engines rank pages on search results using different criteria. SEO is meant to optimize the content of your page and help you rank high in the search results. Do you intend to attract more traffic to your site?
Would you be interested in making the Search Engines acknowledge the exact keywords to rank your post for? I guess your answers to these questions are “yes,” and if so, you will glad to learn all the strategies you can use for this purpose. In optimizing a site or a blog, on-page and off-page optimization play a significant role. In this discussion, we will focus on on-page optimization. Specifically, we will be discussing how to pay attention to on-page SEO. So, let us begin the right way.
On-page SEO focuses on optimizing content for a certain keyword in a blog post. In this case, you must use appropriate keywords, correct keyword placement, and having quality content, among others. Why then do you need on-page SEO? Because you are not ranking on the first page of search engine results. That sounds harsh, I guess! Well, there could be many reasons why you are not ranking high, but if you are not careful about SEO, it could be the main reason. When your post is optimized in naturally and smartly, it will attract more visitors. The following tips are essential if you want to pay attention to on-page SEO.
Meta Title
This is one of the most important factors for consideration in on-page SEO. If the title is very attractive and optimized, there are more chances of prospective clients clicking it. More clicks translate to a higher ranking. How, then do you achieve this? You should aim at using a targeted keyword at the beginning of your title. What if this is impractical? You should ensure it appears somewhere within the title. Importantly, you don’t have to overuse the keyword. In fact, it should appear only once. Overusing the keyword in the title can affect your ranking negatively. Also, the title should never contain more than 65 characters.
Heading Tags
It is important to use heading tags to outline different headings and subheadings, or the essential points in the post. For instance, in WordPress, the heading tag is H1 and doesn’t have to be used again elsewhere in the article. Using it only once is enough. In the case of section breaks, restrict yourself to H2 and H3. Even so, you should not use them a lot as that will not be like by Google algorithms.
Keyword Density
The keyword density should be maintained at about 1.5% with a blend of LSI keywords. We, however, suggest the use of semantically related phrases to help Google understand your content better. Also, use the main keyword at the introductory paragraph only once as well as in the concluding one. Only use it sensibly.
Meta Tags
You also need outstanding but relevant Meta description in your blog posts. Importantly, use the targeted keyword within the Meta description. While several SEO experts proponents argue that Meta description does not feature among the ranking factors, we believe it is not true. There is a significant correlation between ranking and the use of the Meta description. Even though the search engines select the keywords, it is important that users press on the post. You have to write appropriate Meta descriptions which appear sensible and related to the article. While Google may not pay attention to them, they may matter significantly in other search engines such as Bing.
Word Count
Usually, shallow blog posts are not impressive. A blog post with limited words if often considered less informative. While there are exceptions, for an information-based post, 1300 words are perceived ideal. It is important to be adequately researched and overly informative, rather than offering just adequate information. This is even more critical in case you are targeting the keywords that are very competitive. It would be wise to examine other blog posts targeting similar keywords and look at their word count. Even though there is no set word count, longer posts often rank higher due to the fact that there a lot of information in them.
Add Schema
This is an effective on-page SEO strategy that can help you rank better than your competitors, yet many do not utilize it. With structured data, the search engine is able to understand your content better. For instance, you may opt to put your contact information as footers are vital for your visitors. Nevertheless, the search engine may not be to interpret it. By using schema, you add context to its prudence.
Use Internal Links
Use the links related to your blog within the article. With interlinking, visitors can stay longer in your blog. It is also important to utilize keywords as anchor texts, though you must not overdo that. The links that are pertinent to the original article demonstrate that you are offering additional information beyond what is covered in the content.
External linking
External links are very important as well. However, you need to be careful only to link trusted sites. Trustworthy sources such as Wikipedia are also vital. Apart from providing additional information, visitors will cherish that. Besides, in ranking pages, search engines pay more attention to external links.
Write quality and Engaging Content
While the above strategies are essential, they may not be helpful if your content is poor. You need to learn how to effectively engage your visitors. The secret to this is understanding what they are interested in and write just that. Without engaging content, individuals cannot stay longer on your post, and that will detriment your ranking.
The Bottom Line
How to Pay Attention to On-Page SEO require efforts. However, you can be successful if you use the suggestions we have discussed in this blog. If it appears challenging, you can still find help from SEO experts.
